The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released today (5-27-21) its “second” estimate of real gross domestic product (GDP) for Q1 if 2020. BEA reports it at an annual rate of 6.4%. This is unchanged from their initial “advance” estimate released last month.
Wood Markets News
Mortgage Rates Drop Below 3% in the Week Ending May 27, 2021
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending May 27, 2021. The PMMS reports that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.95% with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.00%. A year ago, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.15%.
Weekly Jobless Claims Decline in the Week Ending May 22, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 406,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday, May 22, 2021 — a decrease of 38,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level.
Sawmill Capacity at Levels Not Seen Since the Great Recession but Still Can’t Keep Up with Demand
According to the Federal Reserve Board, North American softwood sawmill capacity is at its greatest level since the Great Recession. Capacity increased by 1.4 billion board feet in the last year. And the vast majority of that increased capacity — 1.1 million board feet — is coming from the Southern U.S.
Delmarva Lumber Company Opens in Willards, MD and Hopes to Help All Businesses Along the Lumber Supply Chain
A ribbon cutting ceremony held today (5-26-21) marked the opening of Delmarva Lumber Company. Delmarva is located on former site of the Cropper Bros. Lumber Company in Willards, MD, which was closed in 2018. Rickards says the mill has over one million board feet of timber ready to start being shipped.
Two Year Streak of Increasing Housing Affordability Comes to an Ends in March 2021
According to the latest affordability report from First American Financial Corporation and its Chief Economist Mark Fleming, housing affordability on an annual basis declined in March for the first time since January 2019, signaling the end of a more than two-year streak of rising affordability.
Median Age Of U.S. Construction Workforce
Analysis of the most recent 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) data provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reveals that the median age of construction workers is 41, the same as typical worker in the national labor force.
Mortgage Applications Decline 4.2% in the Week Ending May 21, 2021
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending May 21, 2021, the Market Composite Index — a measure of mortgage loan application volume — decreased -4.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased- 4% compared with the previous week.
Record Dry Soil and Vegetation in U.S. West Creates Potential for Increasingly Dangerous Wildfire Season
Last year’s wildfire season in the western U.S. set new records for damage and destruction. This year’s wildfire season is shaping up to be potentially worse. According to scientists, the soil is at record dry levels for this time of year — so is the vegetation that can fuel wildfires.
Sales of New Single-Family Home Sales Drop 5.9% in April
The U.S. Census Bureau is reporting that new residential single-family home sales for April 2021 were at a SAAR of 863,000, according to estimates. This is -5.9% below the revised March rate of 917,000 but is 48.3% above the April 2020 estimate of 582,000.